Record industry body The BPI set out a series of significant concerns over the proposed closure of BBC 6 Music at a summit meeting held yesterday afternoon between senior figures in the UK music industry and the BBC Trust.
BPI Chairman Tony Wadsworth and Chief Executive Geoff Taylor led a delegation of senior industry executives to take part in the meeting, including:
• Paul Curran - Chief Operating Officer, Sony Music
• David Joseph - Chairman & CEO, Universal Music UK
• Andria Vidler - President EMI Music UK and Ireland
• Jeremy Marsh - Vice Chairman Warner Bros Records UK
• Korda Marshall - Managing Director, Infectious Music
• Alison Wenham - CEO, AIM
• Jon Webster - Chief Executive, MMF
• Feargal Sharkey - CEO, UK Music
The BBC Trust was represented by its Chairman, Sir Michael Lyons, along with Mark Wakefield, Head of Performance, and Stephen Callow, Senior Adviser, Performance.
Tony Wadsworth spoke about the unique role played by 6 Music, “We cannot see the sense in pulling the plug on a successful outlet for artists, both new and established, that are not being played on either Radio 1 or 2. 6 Music has significant cultural worth and public value that you can’t measure by audience numbers alone, and it provides programming that commercial radio does not.”
The music industry delegation set out the case for retaining 6 Music:
• 6 Music is an excellent example of the BBC's public service mission in action, since it delivers programming that commercial radio does not and could not realistically provide. The value of 6 Music cannot be judged by audience figures alone - particularly since its absolute audience is constrained by being a digital-only station. Within this constraint, the 6 Music audience has in fact been growing well.
• 6 Music plays an important role in the cultural life and knowledge of the nation, since it exposes an audience of all ages to music they simply do not hear elsewhere, introduced by authoritative and knowledgeable presenters. It also provides many new and heritage artists with their only opportunity of radio play. It takes programming risks on new artists when they are often in the developmental and most creative phase of their career - supporting and encouraging creative risk-taking by British artists to a degree other radio stations do not. Success on 6 Music leads to some of those artists getting played on Radios 1 and 2 and commercial radio.
• 6 Music is in some respects better compared to Radio 3 than to Radios 1 and 2, and this should be factored into any assessment of its value for money.
• Accommodating 6 Music programming on Radio 1 or 2 would not deliver the same benefits as 6 Music. New and niche music would end up relegated to late night or low profile slots. These stations are programmed for specific age ranges, but 6 Music serves people passionate about music whatever their age.
• Rebranding 6 Music as 2 Xtra, if planned, would waste the substantial public money and effort that has gone into building the distinctive 6 Music brand. It would also confuse listeners given the specific age profile target of Radio 2.
The music industry representatives also expressed their serious concerns over the continuing absence of a weekly music magazine show on BBC Television, and the missed opportunity this represents for the BBC in terms of building a valuable archive of current music.
The BBC Trust confirmed that the core purpose of the Strategy Review was that the BBC should focus on "distinctive programming others do not produce". The Trust also confirmed that it is part of the public purpose of the BBC to bring forward new talent, and that it welcomes input from the industry. It emphasised that this will be a genuine consultation that will take into account the strong views expressed by industry.
ENDS
NOTES FOR EDITORS
For further information on BPI
Adam Liversage on 020 7803 1326 / 0780 1179032 or email
adam.liversage@bpi.co.uk.
Lynne McDowell on 020 7803 1395 / 0776 3619709 or email
lynne.mcdowell@bpi.co.uk.
About BPI
The BPI is the representative voice of the UK recorded music business. We are a trade organisation funded by our members - which include the UK's four major record labels and hundreds of independent music companies. BPI members account for approximately 90% of all recorded music sold in the UK, and globally the UK's recorded music market is the third biggest.
The BPI also organises the annual BRIT Awards show as well as the Classical BRIT Awards show. The organising company BRIT Awards Limited, is a fully owned subsidiary of the BPI. Substantial proceeds from both shows go to the BRIT Trust, the charitable arm of the BPI that has donated almost £15m to charitable causes nationwide, since its foundation in 1989.